1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to electronic commerce using streaming media, such as used in conjunction with a broadcast or internetworking environment.
2. Related Art
Broadcast of information and related methods (such as closed caption, community television systems, multicast, narrow-cast, or videoconferencing) allow recipients to receive streaming media, such as streaming audio or video shows, or combinations thereof. Streaming media can now be delivered to recipients using a large number of methods, including electromagnetic broadcast, network multicast, and switched system delivery.
Computer communication and computer networks allow people and businesses that are otherwise distant from each other to contact each other and exchange information. One advantageous use of computer communication is to allow commercial transactions to be conducted electronically between buyers and sellers. This form of commerce (“electronic commerce” or “e-commerce”) can include advertising, catalog information, order placement, and order tracking.
One problem in the known art is how best to promote e-commerce to disparate users without using undue amounts of resources for delivery of e-commerce advertising, e-commerce offers and other e-commerce information. This problem is exacerbated with regard to goods and services that might be of interest to large numbers of customers, but for which exchange of e-commerce information does not scale well with those large numbers.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a technique for electronic commerce using streaming media, such as used in conjunction with a broadcast or internetworking environment. This advantage is achieved in embodiments of the invention in which non-obvious improvements are made. (1) E-commerce opportunities, such as promotional information, are combined with incentives for participation, thus enhancing the likelihood of responses from recipients and enhancing the value of distribution of the promotional information. (2) Techniques are applied to reduce load on an e-commerce server associated with the e-commerce opportunities, so that relatively large numbers of recipients can respond to e-commerce opportunities without unduly burdening that server. (3) E-commerce opportunities and promotional material are associated with elements of the streaming media and possibly personalized for individual recipients.